Look In Your Eyes
by Raiderday
Summary: Payson has a fire in her eyes. A fire of determination, desire, and love. Who are her eyes directed at?


A/N: This is my first Make It or Break It fic, and I am excited for this. I can't decide if I will keep this as a two-shot or if this will be a multi-chapter fic. I just finished the series for the third time, and I really wanted to get this down before I forgot it. If you like it, and want a multi-chapter fic, let me know in the reviews. :)

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me, and I don't know a lot about gymnastics so I will do my best.

#

Payson looked up at the scoreboard waiting to see what was going to happen. Since she turned her floor routine into something else right before the trials, her nerves have been higher than ever. The only thing that had calmed her down was that Sasha had come to help her perfect her routine, and to watch her in the trials, and at the Olympics today. Something that Payson couldn't have asked for in a million years. She never expected Sasha to coach her again after he left them all at the USATC. Sasha had always been special to her, and that would never change.

She thought back to that last practice that he had with her and smiled knowing that no matter the result, he would always be proud of her. After everything they had been through, Sasha couldn't be prouder of her.

"_Yes, Pay, that is what I'm talking about. Now your artistic score is right up there with your power moves. You may no longer be a power gymnast, but you could have fooled me with all those power moves. You back has completely healed now. I'm so proud of you Payson Keeler. You will do great at the trials." Sasha said with a big smile as Payson ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck after her floor routine. He picked her up and spun her around. _

" _I couldn't have done any of this without you Sasha. You really are the best coach I could have ever asked for. I promise the minute I win gold at the Olympics, I will return yours. For now, I guess you'll have to suffer without it for just a little longer." She said smiling and winking at him._

_It had always been easy with them. They were always comfortable with each other, even after she that silly kiss she had given him when she was sixteen. It didn't matter to them, they were always professional and very comfortable with each other. Even now sometimes it amazed her how easily she could fall back into that same routine with him. How she could just feel so right with him as her coach. It really made her miss him._

_Sasha could tell that suddenly something was off all of a second and he put her down, but didn't let go of her completely. "What's wrong Payson? You just did your floor routine perfectly, and you'll definitely make the team tomorrow." He said with a look of concern._

"_I'm fine Sasha, I was just thinking how I really miss you. I forgot how easy this was for us as coach and gymnast. Now, with Mac, he doesn't know how to push me right. He thinks telling me that I'm already at my best, and won't let me push myself. I need pushing. I need you again Sasha. Can't you apply to be our new assistant coach please? It will make us all better." She said looking down not knowing what else to say. _

_Sasha sighed and let go of her not knowing what else to do. "Payson, my place is still at The Rock. I can't just leave the girls there. I did that once, and well we both know how that turned out. You three left to come find me in Romania, which I still am not happy about. You know that I can't do that to those girls, they have big meets coming up." He said quietly but he felt bad having to say it. He would do nothing but come coach them if he could._

"_Then you have to promise me you will be there for me when I win Gold in London. I expect you to be in that audience, no matter what Sasha." She said looking up to him with as much fire in her eyes as he had ever seen. _

"_That's the look I need you to keep all the way through the Olympics. I made a promise to you a long time ago that I would be there for you in every way, and I intend to keep that promise. I will be there in London, watching you, Kaylie, and Lauren. No matter what." He said with a small smile and he couldn't be more proud of her. _

"_Okay, now how about we go celebrate with some froyo." She said with a wink._

_Sasha laughed a little and nodded. "Yes, and you can tell me all about lover boy. I guess that no dating rule doesn't extend here at the training center."_

Any minute now the scores would be up and Payson would know her fate. She had a good day, she was strong and confident, and nothing bad happened. Not like in her national team tryouts or worlds, where she broke her back and then sprained her ankle. So she didn't have to land her vault on one leg. This was the first time in her international career that she had a solid performance.

Surprisingly enough it was between her and Genji Cho to win the gold. Genji had a sort of mishap on her beams, and wiggled on her round off arabian mount. She actually didn't hold the hand stand long enough and it cost her. That deduction really took something out of her, and you could tell as her beams were riddled with small little deductions, which was very unlike Genji Cho.

Payson, however, had her best day ever and she knew it was going to be close. Both for the all around gold, and for the team gold. All of the girls of Team USA and China had pretty great rotations, but it was Genji, Payson, and Kaylie that really had a great day. Everyone knew it would be them as the top three, it was just how that they weren't sure.

Finally the scores pulled up and in third was Kaylie Cruz, in second Genji Cho, and with the gold was Payson Keeler. Suddenly Payson was enveloped in all hugs and she couldn't tell who they all were. She found Kaylie in the crowd of the rest of her teammates and she grabbed Kaylie in a hug. "Congrats!" She yelled over the crowd and Kaylie said the same. The crowd started chanting "USA! USA!" in celebration waiting for the team results to come out.

Not long after the results came out and it showed that Team USA won. The crowd erupted into cheers and the five women on Team USA jumped up and down in a circle all holding onto one another. "WE DID IT!" Lauren, Jordan, Kaylie, and Payson all yelled at the top of their lungs. The crowd still chanting "USA! USA!"

#

Sasha smiled and clapped loudly along with the rest of the crowd. He was surrounded by the Keelers, the Cruzs and Steve Tanner. When the scores came up, he stood up and enveloped every one of the parents of his gymnasts, but the hug for Kim and Mark Keeler lasted longer. Through the years, his friendship with the Keelers had meant a lot to him. He would never do anything to wreck that friendship.

"Thank you Sasha, without you, Payson would never have made it this far." Kim said after letting him go and giving him a big smile.

Sasha smiled and nodded. He returned his attention back to the floor where the medal ceremony was taking place. First the Team Gold, and he couldn't be more proud of his three Rock Rebels. Next the individual medals, where Payson medaled in all four events, silver on beam, gold on bars, gold on vault, and gold on floor. Kaylie won three medals, bronze on vault, silver on vault, and bronze on floor. Lauren came out with gold on beam, keeping her name of "Queen of the Beam." Finally the all around medals, with Jordan in 6th, Lauren in 4th, Kaylie with bronze and Payson with Gold.

Watching Payson, Sasha couldn't help but smile and think about the girl he watched grow into a beautiful, amazing woman. If people knew how Sasha really felt, they would look at him differently. It was true that Payson was always special to him, but it wasn't just because she was his gymnast. It was because she was Payson. He knew it was wrong, at least at the time when she was sixteen, but Payson was an adult now, she was of age. She could make her own choices, and of course she did. Which is why she was with that BMX guy Rico, or Rigo, or whatever his name was. Sasha didn't really pay attention to the name when she had told him about her boyfriend.

He knew it was non-traditional to like, nay love someone who was only just eighteen but he couldn't help it. Payson was beyond what he ever thought of when he thought of someone to love. She was strong, confident, amazing, beautiful, and so many other adjectives that he could think of. However, he could and never would do anything about it. He knew she was with someone, and he would never push his feelings on someone who probably only saw him as a coach.

#

As the National Anthem came to a close, Payson wiped the tears that had rolled down her face and smiled, waving her hand and bouquet in the air. She beckoned for Kaylie to join her and she hugged her friend and took in the crowd and everything she could of the moment.

She made her way out of the arena soon after the ceremony and ran to find her parents. As soon as she saw them, she jumped into her father's arms and then hugged her mother tight. "Thank you so much for everything that you have done! I couldn't have done it without you two. I love you guys so much!" She said excitedly and quickly.

Both Kim and Mark laughed at their daughter and told her they loved her. "We're so proud of you Pay!" Kim said kissing her daughter on the forehead. Her father did the same on the other side.

"Have you seen Sasha?" Payson asked, looking around.

"Behind you." Came the reply of a husky british voice.

Payson whipped around and smiled so brightly. She jumped in his arms and he spun her around happily. "Congratulations Payson. I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it." He said in her ear smiling into her shoulder.

"Thank you Sasha, I can't believe I did it. After everything, I didn't actually believe I could win. I thought maybe, silver, or bronze, but never gold. Especially after my back." She said as he finally put her down. "But you believed in me. Even when I didn't believe in anything anymore."

"Payson, can we get a picture of you and your former coach?"

Payson sighed and turned to the press with a big smile and Sasha put his arm around her shoulders and her hand wove around his waist, just like they had done many times. However, it felt different this time. "Thank you."

Payson nodded and turned back to Sasha. "Can we find somewhere private? I want to talk to you."

Sasha nodded and motioned to the gymnastics locker room. When they pushed through the crowd and the door opened Payson sighed again. Sasha could see the relief just wash over her. She never really wasn't big on press, or parties, so he understood. "You ok, Payson?" He asked standing just inside the door with his hands in his pockets.

"Sasha, I think it's time I return this to you." She said turning around and holding up his gold medal. He looked at it for a moment before realization washed over his face. "I suppose I did just give it to you until you earned one of your own, and you did just that Ms. Olympic Champion." He said reaching out to take it from her hand. Their hands met and Sasha could feel the electricity between them. It sent a tingle up his arm, but he had to ignore it.

"I can't tell you how much that medal meant to me. How much you mean to me. Sasha, if it weren't for you and my parents believing in me at that time, I wouldn't be here. I had given up on myself, I was sure I would never do what I loved again, and be the gymnast that I was before. However, due to your strategy and your faith in me, I got here. I became an Olympic gold medalist, and I achieved my dream. It's all because of you. So thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart." She said, and the tears were now flowing freely. They were happy tears, but Sasha still wiped them off for her.

"Payson, you have always been special to me. I would never admit that anywhere else, but to you I will. You were always the one I knew that would be standing atop that podium. I never lost that faith in you, and now I am happy to have been your coach, and share every moment we have together. Don't ever forget you are an amazingly strong woman Payson Keeler." He said bringing her into his arms.

"Sasha, you have always been special to me. I think you know that though. I've shown that at least once." She said burying her face into his chest. Smelling the old familiar scent of chalk, sandalwood and citrus. The scent that had always driven her crazy, but she would never admit it. She fell for her desires once before, but she would never do that again. Especially because Sasha would never feel the same way about her, he was eleven years her senior, and probably just saw her as some baby.

He pulled away from her but kept his hands on her waist. She looked up at him and started breathing harder, as she hadn't been this close to him in quite a while, and was surprised at how it was affecting her. "We should probably get back out there Pay. At least you should." He said quietly not really wanting to let her go. She stuck her bottom lip out and shook her head. Sasha laughed and closed his eyes. "That's not fair Pay."

"Why not? Can't handle a woman that pouts? Is it your weakness?" She asked playfully. He shook his head. "Believe me, I can handle a woman pouting, but you're not just any woman." He said and then instantly regretted it.

"I'm not?" She asked very seriously and searched his stoic face for any sign of what that could mean. "What am I then?"

Sasha shook his head. "You're Payson." That was all he was going to say. He couldn't tell her what he really felt. "What does that mean Sasha?" She asked, still searching his face. Her stare was really starting to unnerve him.

"I already told you, you're special to me." He said smiling. "We really need to get back out there, that party is for all of you, revel in it, will you?" He added heading to the door and started to open it.

Payson crossed the room and shut the door before he could pull it all the way open. Her hand snaked her way up his arm and up to his neck. She didn't care about anything else at this moment, and she needed to get this out of her system. She raised her tiptoes and put her lips to his.

He was frozen, as soon as she had shut the door, and her hand moved up his arm. He didn't know what she was doing until it was too late. She had once again caught him off guard and once again kissed him. He suddenly had a flashback to her sixteen year old days when she did essentially the same thing. However, then he was thinking more and pushed her away, instantly. This time, he couldn't help it. He did not want to pull or push her away. However, he knew he had to, as she was cheating on her boyfriend, and he would not be the other man. "Payson, no." He said as he was able to push her away.

"Sasha, I'm sorry, I thought I read the right signals, I thought we both….god I'm so stupid." She said as she turned away to head outside. This time, he shut the door on her. "No, Pay, you read everything right, but that's not why I pushed you away. I can't be the other man Pay. I can't be someone who makes a woman cheat on their boyfriend. I have too much respect for you to do that." He said wanting to explain why he pushed her away.

Payson furrowed her eyebrows when she realized what he was talking about. "Are you talking about Rigo?" She asked looking back up at him. "Was that his name? I thought it was Rico." He muttered.

She laughed a little and shook her head. "Oh, Sasha, I guess you didn't hear. Rigo and I broke up almost immediately after mine and your last training session at the TC. I guess he didn't like how much I was talking about you." She said shrugging. Sure at the time it hurt her, but she realized her feelings for Sasha because of it.

"So, you don't have a boyfriend?" He asked pulling his right hand up to cup her cheek. When she shook his head, she saw a smile creep up on his face, and it felt like forever until he lowered his head to put his lips to her.

She eagerly met his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. He wrapped his free hand around her back and pulled her to him as close as their bodies could be. There was not one ounce of space between the two of them.

"Payson. They need a picture of all…...oh I'm sorry, it seems I opened the door to the past." Payson and Sasha broke apart and turned to see Kaylie smiling at the door. "Coach, can we please borrow Payson for pictures?" She asked trying to keep her composure. "I'll be there in a minute, Kay." Payson said knowing she was blushing.

When the door closed both Payson and Sasha sighed and laughed. "Go ahead Pay, we'll catch up later." He said giving her a little push out the door.

"We need to talk for sure, so don't think this is over." Payson winked and smiled on her way out the door.

A/N: So there it was. Please let me know what you think :)


End file.
